Facing Opposition For Your Faith

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. – Matthew 24:42-44

When I began ministry as a pastor in the late seventies, I noticed during election season that people who were running for public office sat in the second row of our church. They did this to be seen.

Today, if you are publicly standing for Christ, a guaranteed percentage of people will not support you or vote for you. Because you have identified with the Bible and with Jesus, they will vote against you. That is crazy to think about, but that is where we are.

But this isn’t the only form of opposition Christians face. It’s not even close. Hundreds of thousands of people are martyred for their faith in Christ globally. Martyrdom is currently reaching a great intensity. There are people in our own country who cry out “death to America,” and “death to Israel,” who are immigrants.

And yet, Jesus said this would happen. There is a rising sentiment of animosity toward believers. You are finding more people who are vocally against Christ. They say, “I don't believe in Jesus. I don't care for Him. I don't care for the church.” You are seeing an unprecedented number of people who have animosity toward the local church and the name of Jesus.

This just means that the second coming of Christ is approaching. And as we face more and more opposition for our faith, we should not be discouraged, but encouraged! We should be more motivated than ever to share the message of the gospel with those around us because Jesus is coming soon, and people need to be saved.
Who are you sharing Jesus with as the End Times draw near?